By way of background example, hydrogen-based fuel cells are viewed as a replacement for conventional means of generating electricity, and hydrogen is also viewed as potential fuel substitution for conventional internal combustion engines (ICE). While such hydrogen-based systems are desirable, hydrogen supply, delivery, and storage may provide a number of technical challenges. For example, a typical hydrogen delivery truck carries hydrogen at low cryogenic temperature. In an alternative method, fuel such as hydrogen can be stored as a compressed gas. Compressed gas supply may be limited, for example, by storage capacity. Another alternative comprises sorbents, for example, metal hydride sorbents, which may not be sufficient for particular products, and additionally present challenges such as weight constraints.
There is a need in this art for methods of providing product for fuel cells or ICE usage in a safe, efficient and cost-effective manner. There is also a need in this art for methods that provide a simple, efficient, and low-cost transaction that can be implemented by all product customer groups, including but not limited to vehicle operators, power generators, filling stations, carrier owners, product owners, product generators, product users, fresh/spent and product distribution sites, and other users.